Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley pointed fingers and compared each other’s political records during Wednesday’s fourth Republican primary debate — while trying to avoid mudslinging and character attacks from the other two candidates on stage.
DeSantis made an aggressive start to his night at the Moody Music Building in Tuscaloosa, Ala., by calling out the GOP presidential candidate who is finally “willing to stand his ground” and “defeat” the opposition.
“You have another candidate here like Nikki Haley. He caves whenever the left comes after [her] — anytime media [attacks]” he said, adding later that he would also “give up to the big donors when it counts.”
The Florida governor has repeatedly sought to contrast his record with the former South Carolina governor on education, the economy and individual liberties, while at times teaming up with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to continue his attacks on Haley.
“We are in danger of being the first generation of Americans to hand over to our children and grandchildren an America that is less prosperous and less free than the one we inherited. I refuse to sit by and let that happen,” DeSantis said in his closing statement.
“But we need to have people who are willing to fight the people who are doing this to us. It is unlikely that these establishment Republicans will just come at the first sign of opposition. I will fight for you.”
Christie and Ramaswamy went to the fourth round
The highlight – or dim light – of a chaotic first hour was Christie launching into Ramaswamy after the 38-year-old said the former ambassador to the United Nations could not name any Ukrainian region.
Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis participate in the NewsNation Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama’s Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa. Getty Images
“This is the fourth debate. The fourth debate that you’re going to be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most annoying shot in America,” Christie said, setting off a near-shouting match with his rival.
“We’re now 25 minutes into this debate and he has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence, not her position, her basic intelligence,” Christie said. “She is a smart woman. You should stop insulting him.”
“First of all, Chris Christie doesn’t even know which region in eastern Ukraine he actually wants to fight for,” Ramaswamy countered before suggesting that a big part of “Christie’s foreign policy experience is closing the bridge from New Jersey to New York.” “
“So do everyone a favor, get yourself off that stage, have a nice meal and get out of this race.
Haley accused of giving in on transgender issues, corporate influence
The debate calmed down a bit in the second hour, where DeSantis received his biggest cheer of the night in response to a question about hormone treatment and gender reassignment surgery for minors.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reacts to UN ambassador Nikki Haley during the Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama’s Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa. Getty Images
“You have no right to abuse your children,” he said in response to Christie saying he would defer to parents on the issue. “This cuts their genitalia. This disfigures these minors. This is an irreversible procedure.”
“I signed a law in Florida banning the mutilation of minors because it’s wrong,” he added. “Nikki doesn’t agree with me. He was against the bill we did to ban it.”
“I don’t,” Haley interrupted.
“You said the law shouldn’t get involved with it,” DeSantis replied. “This stems from what he did as governor of South Carolina, you know, they had a bill to try to say that men can’t go in women’s bathrooms, and he killed that bill, and he bragged that he killed that bill, even to this day he brags about it.”
Former South Carolina Governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley gestures as she speaks during the fourth Republican presidential debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 6, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
“I don’t think boys should go into girls’ bathrooms; I think it’s wrong; and I think we have the right to protect them from that,” he said, drawing another round of applause.
DeSantis also supports Ramaswamy and Haley in his attack on corporate ESG investing.
“Vivek, he wrote a book talking about ESG and these companies are developing and BlackRock,” he said. “The idea that I wanted to do it — in Florida, they managed part of our pension and then when they did ESG, I took $2 billion from BlackRock. We are taking action.”
“This ESG — they call it environmental, social, governance [investing] — and against Nikki is meeting with all these people,” he added, “they want to use economic power to impose a leftist agenda on this country.”
“The next president of the United States needs to be able to walk into that office on Day One and end ESG — and the fact is we know from her history Nikki will argue with those big donors when it matters.”
Earlier, DeSantis and Ramaswamy also clashed with Haley over her approach to online privacy after she suggested all social media users should identify themselves.
“The only person more fascist than the Biden regime right now is Nikki Haley [who] thinks the government should identify every individual with an ID,” said Ramaswamy.
“That’s not freedom — that’s fascism. And he shouldn’t be anywhere near the … level of power in the White House.”
Having surged in national polls in recent weeks, Haley brushed aside the criticism in response.
“I’ll be happy, and I love all the attention, man. Thanks for that,” he replied, saying he would “fight for free speech for the American people” and intended to target bad foreign actors.
“He said, ‘I want your name,'” DeSantis cut in. “And then he got serious blowback, and understandably so, because it would be a huge expansion of government.”
Attacks on Trump escalated
Three of the four contenders are also stepping up their attacks on the absentee front-runner in the 2024 primary: former President Donald Trump.
Christie, who has made direct verbal attacks on the 77-year-old former president a hallmark of his campaign, opened his first question by declaring he was “the only person on the stage who is telling the truth, and the only person who takes what has to be taken.” .”
“I looked at my watch and saw that we are 17 minutes into this debate. And … we have these three people acting as if the race is between the four of us,” he told the audience, before slamming Trump as a “bully” and a “dictator.”
“I understand why the three of them are tempted not to say anything about it. Maybe because they have future aspirations. Maybe that future aspiration is now or maybe four years from now. But the fact is, the truth needs to be told,” added Christie. “He’s not well.”
But Trump’s one-time ally wasn’t the only contestant knocking the former president.
Haley and DeSantis accused the 45th president of making irresponsible decisions while commander in chief regarding the national debt and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Like everybody wants to talk about how Donald Trump has a good economy — $9 trillion in debt that he did in just four years and we’re all paying the price, including the mortgage price,” Haley said, raising the real price of $7.8 trillion added to debt during his tenure.
While DeSantis blasted “Republicans in Washington” for driving up inflation and interest rates, he launched his biggest attack on Trump over the former president’s COVID policies and age.
“Father Time is invincible; the idea that we’re going to put somebody in there who’s close to 80 and there’s not going to be any repercussions for that, we all know that’s not true,” DeSantis said, before addressing Christie’s “dictatorship” concerns.
“The media made a big deal about what he said. I will remind people that is not the way he governs,” he said. “He didn’t even fire Dr. Fauci or Christopher Wray. He didn’t clear the Swamp. He said he was going to dry it, he didn’t.”
Christie’s Trump-focused tactics rubbed off on the audience and his closing remarks drew jeers — not for the first time during the event.
“Picture in your mind Election Day. You will all go to the polling station to vote. And that is something Donald Trump will never be able to do. Because he will be convicted of a crime before that,” he said.
“Here’s the bottom line, you can scoff all you like and keep denying reality, but if we deny reality as a party, we’re going to have four more years of Joe Biden.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
